Mostly known to be part of the anti-restaurant scene, Supperclubs are usually formed by an individual or a group of friends who have a passion in home cooking (while others are professionals), and want to showcase their no-frills cuisine to a selected few at an economical rate. To add to the informal setting, such parties usually taken place in their homes where a full suite of kitchen appliances await. Heck, even their crockery do not match. As such supperclubs go, the ones in New York have been on the steady rise especially during the economic downturn that plagued us as far back as a few years ago.
Due to their secrecy, it can take a while for interested parties to discover one. If the world wide web does not help, there is always the good ‘ol word of mouth which more often than not will lead you to a popular or quality supperclub (or both). In my case, I was thankful to have watched Jamie’s America a couple of months back where his New York trip took him to one of such parties by hosts Tamara and Zora. If Jamie Oliver was there, it has to be good and I’m game for it.
Armed with only a few information, I searched the net and stumbled upon their website, The Sunday Night Dinner in Astoria a few days later. With that a few quick emails got me a reservation for four and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in Astoria and meeting Tamara herself. Due to her busy schedule, Tamara could only make time for two dinners a fortnight (or a month) and I was thankful that one of her dinners was planned to coincide with my trip in New York. I am not too certain what happened to Zora but a quick chat with Tamara led me to believe that they both moved on to pursue their individual interests.
Left: Everyone can bring a bottle of wine for all to share | Right: We start off with a little appetiser
Left and right: The setting is very informal with us helping ourselves to everything, even the wine glass is a measuring cup
Left and right: Tamara preparing the main dish for the night, lamb
We began sitting ourselves down at the table and passed around the dishes consisting of salads, greens and naan. Soon after, we were presented with a huge bowl of sliced lamb and ate to our hearts content. As the dinner progressed, the living turned dining room filled with strangers and acquaintances chatted into the night.
Left: My table with me goofing off | Right: The small little set up of about 20 to 30 people
Left: Naan | Right: Greens..
Left: …greens… | Right: …and more greens
Left: Tamara’s cousin (I think) presenting the lamb and my colleague from the New York office, Rose Mary with a Kodak moment | Right: A slightly overexposed close up shot of the lamb
I managed to catch up with Tamara during her break and discussed about Jamie Oliver. That was when she recounted how she and Zora were smitten by him during his visit, yes everyone loves him don’t they? 
Upon learning that Lyn (my boo) was upset for not being there to savour her cuisine, she took out a book she and Zora recently published, wrote a note, signed it and told me to pass it to her. What a sweet gesture… 
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Left: The book… | Right: …with Tamara’s note to Lyn
After a few post dinner drinks, we looked at the watch and figured its best we head back to New York City before its too late for us to catch a cab. Yes, I am proud to say I have finally attended a supperclub dinner. While the food was not exactly fantastic, the entire experience left me smiling and wanting to bring Lyn the next time we visit New York. Until then, its just going to be Lyn’s cooking…which is not that bad from the way I see it..
More photos in my Flickr album here.
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